


It's Your Call...

by MalcolmReynolds



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Rose and Juleka totally set them up, fear of phones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:13:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28642032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmReynolds/pseuds/MalcolmReynolds
Summary: Luka really hates talking on the phone, but he doesn't want to tell Marinette, because she's always calling him.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 16
Kudos: 105





	It's Your Call...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fenheart87](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenheart87/gifts).



> A late birthday gift for Fen, who I think could really use some fluff this week! I love you, Fen!!!

Luka shot a quick text to Marinette. He knew she’d been nervous about her exam at school today, Juleka had, too, and he wanted to see how it went. He sighed when a minute later his phone rang. He really hated talking on the phone. He was never as comfortable with words as he was with music, preferring to practice things over and over in his head before saying them out loud. With a phone call, that was impossible, made even more difficult by the fact that you couldn’t see the other person’s reaction.

He was somewhat more comfortable with video chat, not just because he tended to chat with people he was more comfortable with, but because he could see their face and they could see his, tell when he was thinking, and not worry as much that his silence was becoming uncomfortable. 

Some of Luka’s annoyance dissipated when he saw that the caller was Marinette. Marinette was patient with him, more than willing to talk, or listen to him play as he gathered his thoughts, seemingly unbothered as his silences dragged on much longer than was generally socially acceptable. She was that an all around amazing person that Luka couldn’t help falling in love with. Deep down he knew that if he just told her that he hated talking on the phone, she would stick to text or video calls, but he felt a little silly telling her not to call him. 

Plastering a smile on his face, not that she’d be able to see it, but he worried she’d hear the frown in his voice, he picked up on the second ring. Marinette’s happy voice came through to him, telling him about how the exam was much easier than she’d been anticipating. She spoke happily to him for a few minutes, before asking about his day and inviting him over. He declined, reminding her that there was band practice that evening, and suggesting that she should come down to the _Liberty_ instead. She agreed, and they hung up. Abandoning the quiet of his bedroom for the sunshine of the deck, Luka sat out in one of the deck chairs, his guitar settled in his lap, keeping an eye out for Marinette. 

He’d made no secret of his crush on Marinette, neither to his bandmates, friends, or to Marinette herself. At the time he’d told her, she had been interested in another, and he’d backed off, letting her know he was interested in her, but that he wasn’t going to push it. Their friendship had grown, and now Marinette was visiting the _Liberty_ as often to see him as she was to see Juleka.

Luka leaned back in his chair, his eyes closing as the melody swirled around him. _Her_ melody. It was always her melody that played through his head, luring him in like a siren’s song. His phone chirped, pulling him out of his musical reverie. He glanced down at it, and seeing his sister’s name, clicked on the text. Relieved that she was as call-adverse as he was, he read the message that she and Rose would be late, and they’d let Ivan know to come later, too. She didn’t say what was going on, only that band practice would start an hour later. 

Shrugging, Luka went to tuck his phone back into his pocket, but frowned again when it rang. He took a deep breath and answered the call, smiling slightly when he heard Marinette’s breathless voice at the other end of the line. She’d stopped at a little creperie, unaware until she was passing the open door just how hungry she was, and wanted to know if he wanted anything while she was there. 

Five minutes later, Marinette was stepping across the gangplank, backpack still slung over her shoulders, bag of crepes in one hand. Luka had set up a crate as a makeshift table for them, and she unloaded the crepes onto it. They’d both chosen sweet over savory, strawberries for Marinette while Luka had selected the lemon and sugar. They talked as they ate, Marinette almost losing a forkful a couple of times because of the wild gesticulations that accompanied her story. Luka found himself laughing at her tale, and caught the barest hint of a blush forming on her cheeks when he smiled at her. 

Immediately shifting his gaze so as not to make her uncomfortable, Luka brushed the powdered sugar from the corners of his mouth as he reached for his guitar. Marinette’s hand on his arm stopped him. “Why do you always do that?” When Luka frowned, she clarified, “look away, I mean. You never meet my eyes for very long.”

It was Luka’s turn for a slight blush to color his cheeks. He looked at his hands for a moment, still empty of his guitar, thinking his answer through. “People have always complained that I’m too intense. That when I look at people too long it makes them uncomfortable.” He shrugged and glanced up at her face, his eyes darting away from the look of sympathy she was giving him. Clasping his hands together in his lap, he focused on them, until a smaller hand came into his view and covered his clenched fingers.

A rueful laugh had him glancing back up at Marinette. “I’ve been told the same thing. When I focus, nothing can get in my way.” She squeezed his hands lightly before slipping her hand back into her own lap. “For what it’s worth, you don’t make me uncomfortable.” She paused for a few seconds. “I don’t think you’ve ever made me feel uncomfortable, Luka. I’m not sure you could.” Her face was turning redder by the second, but she kept going. “I like the way you pay attention when we’re talking, it’s like every part of you is listening to what I have to say.”

Gaze focused on her own hands, she missed the way he looked up at her, and the way he flinched when she added, almost too softly for him to hear, “it doesn’t happen very often.”

Unsure whether he was supposed to have heard that last statement, Luka reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing comfortingly, but not saying anything. Eventually Marinette’s eyes flicked up to his and he gasped, realizing, with both of them hunched over their laps, just how close their faces really were. Marinette realized it too, and her tongue unconsciously darted out to lick her bottom lip. Luka’s eyes were drawn to the movement, and his gaze lingered on her mouth a few moments longer than it should have before he was able to tear his eyes away. 

Marinette was blushing heavily now, but she caught his eyes and didn’t move back, choosing instead to lean infinitesimally closer to him, her eyes locked on his. She whispered something he didn’t catch, and pressed her lips to his for just the barest of seconds, before pulling back. Luka sat frozen, his eyes round and watching her, but as her lips parted to apologize, he leaned in, pressing his mouth to hers. He felt her small gasp of surprise before she melted against him, her hands coming up to toy with the hair at the base of his neck. Eyes fluttering closed as he lost himself in the press of her lips against his, Luka cupped her cheek in his hand. They sat there trading lazy kisses until a squeal had them jumping apart. 

Looking up, blushing deeply, Marinette’s eyes locked on Rose, as she stood there, beaming at the two of them. She felt Luka’s hand wrap around hers and squeeze softly. Turning to look at him, she could see that his cheeks were pink as well, but he was smiling at her, and all the tension in her just drained away at his soft look. 

A dramatic sigh had them looking back at Juleka and Rose, and Juleka was smiling, even as she declared them ‘gross’ and huffed her way down the stairs. Rose gave them a blinding smile and a thumbs up before following Juleka belowdecks.

Marinette felt, rather than heard, Luka’s soft laugh behind her as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Leaning back against him, Marinette smiled to herself. “I actually can’t stay for practice today, but can I call you later?” She felt Luka stiffen behind her and her smile melted away. 

Seeing her face fall, Luka rushed to reassure her. “No, that… that’s fine. I’ll text you after practice?”

They spent a few more minutes together, but when Ivan arrived, Marinette shyly kissed Luka goodbye before heading back to the bakery to help her parents with decorating an order for the next day. She hummed the whole way back, her smile constantly tugging at the corners of her lips. 

She was working on some homework when she got the text from Luka, asking her out for the next afternoon. Snatching up her phone, she immediately dialed his number. They chatted for a while, planning what they were going to do. Once they were in agreement, Luka was quiet for a bit. 

“Is everything alright, Luka?”

“Of course,” he replied, too quickly. “I’m excited for tomorrow.”

He could hear the smile in her voice. “I am too. If something were bothering you, though, you’d tell me, right?”

Luka sighed, and explained to her why he wasn’t a fan of talking on the phone. He was expecting her to roll her eyes and laugh, but he could practically feel her blushing as her voice turned shy. “Oh, well, I like to call you, because I really just like to hear your voice.” Her answer made him blush. “But we can video chat if you’d prefer. I’m just usually doing something with my hands when we talk and am not always looking.”

Chuckling, Luka could picture Marinette sitting in her desk chair, pinning fabrics together. _No_ , he decided, not pinning fabric, there wasn’t the muffled sound of her talking around the pins, maybe laying them out, trying to find two that went perfectly together. Laughter still danced in his voice as he teased her, “I guess I’m just going to have to find ways to be distracting then.” His chuckle turned into a full throated laugh as he heard Marinette squawk and fall off of her chair. She huffed indignantly, but was giggling too. 

He was smiling as they said goodnight, glad that he’d talked to Marinette, happy that she understood, and even happier for their date the next day.


End file.
